Build suggestions
 

Okay, before i get under hood of the project, i'd like to get some suggestions on how i should setup my build on an Rx7 Fc s5/s4 so i can have my plan ready. Basically i would like to request some assistance on... the order at which i should be upgrading, suggestions on parts, and whatever else you may throw at me. As for what i'm trying to achieve would be an FC with a 13b turbo engine, daily/performance, with a stealthy sort of setup to stay away from the sirens. Forgive me as im new to modding cars and probably getting my hands dirty. - Also sorry in advance as i'm trying to figure out what i'm trying to do without making too many screwups.

Start with making sure the car is in 100% working order. Then buy some great tires and learn how to drive it like a champ. Then go here FC3S Pro v2.0: From Mild 2 Wild - Power

^^^^ +1. after that I would go with suspension upgrades to "freshen up" the car like bushings, new shocks and springs maybe the basic bolt on cool kid stuff. If you new to the overall experience don't build your car according to some stuff you read about a 500 HP daily track car, start slow with control and go from there.

Thanks for the assistance, and I'm expecting to have a 89 na soon.

check into a thread called "beefy N/A" ..and drive the living shit out of it!
Seriously..just DRIVE IT.
Most guys right off the bat want to "modify it" and they never do get a chance to do what the car was meant to do..be driven.
Enjoy the car,...accumulate parts slowly..while enjoying the car.
Make it a scheduled "downtime' which means don't get yourself in over your head and try to put on ALL the parts at once.
Do ONE "mod" at a time and you get to have minimal down time and more road time.
IF you make it a project then by all means go nuts..BUT if you intend to drive it then Be smart and don't make the "modifications" cut into the actual enjoyment of owning and DRIVING the car!..

Just like the rest of the guys said, gotta make sure she's in tip top shape, you don't want something sneaking up on you later on. And have fun with it, once everything checks out get use to how she feels and then get some work done. Even stock these cars are super fun.

Or. Or, you could do what I did, which is buy a car sight unseen. Tow it home. Get it started, then on its maiden voyage get slapped with a HUGE traffic fine for no hood and "speeding" (89 NA auto with a blown engine and trans. Wasn't speeding, but cops in my town are a-holes). Forget your insurance card in the pile of interior parts at home and deal with that mess. Then proceed to tear the car down to it's frame and let it sit on jack stands in the garage. During the course of this "build", get married, get another dog, spend LOTS of money on your honeymoon, and have your wife go unemployed during this whole time....

Then again, do what these other fellows suggest. Be smart. Have an objective. Take your time and enjoy the car.

P.S.-Wife just got a new job last week, so I'm finally back on the car. I bought it in April of 2014 and I have only gutted it in this whole time.

Cheers, Ian

i find there are 3 phases to a project.

the first is to find and fix any problems. for example i bought a non running MGB a few months ago, and it needed a battery, and then once it had electricity, it didn't have fuel, so i rebuilt the fuel pump, and it was running. driving it needed to get clutch hydraulics, this ends the first phase.

once the mechanical problems are sorted, then you start the second part, doing any maintenance needed. MGB needed all the fluids and filters, tie rod ends (fun! got to bang on the car with a big hammer for a while), some fuel hoses, it got a partial carb rebuild, and its driving really nicely.

the third part is the other stuff, the cosmetic stuff. again, the MGB got a clean, wash wax and vacuum, i still need to swap a wheel, someone refinished 4/5 and then a good one is in the trunk and i think i'm done. the carpet isn't great, but i need to draw a line somewhere. if i change the carpet, then maybe i should do the dash, and door panels, and then maybe the paint isn't so hot, and then the engine is dirty....

so theres a phase 4, but its really deciding in phase 1 that everything is bad.

there are race car phases too, but they are a little different. in phase 1 you buy a limited slip that costs more than the car did, phase 2 you're cutting the thing up to put a cage in there, and phase 3, you're waiting for the diff to come back from the shop, again. phase 4 you drive a stock version of the car, and say something like "oh thats what the dash looks like" phase 5, you run a special race, and then make plans to do the same race next year on the way home. phase 6 one of the drivers crashes the car (again) in the 4th to last corner of the last lap of the last race, when he wasn't even going for a podium spot, so you decide to build another one, instead of selling parts on craigslist for the next 132 years. phase 7, you spend a cold winter building a new one, you learn that you brush the paint on the roll cage instead of spraying. phase 8, you drop the car, trailer and all of your tools at the track and then the truck dies at the hotel, you spend a pleasant valentines evening finding and fixing a starter. phase 9, your race planning consists of finding good places to eat before you leave. phase 10, you need to buy another limited slip diff.....

:icon_tup:
What this guy said. I have a list of items on my car that need attention and I am checking them off as I go. First thing you should do when buying your FC is do a quick compression check to verify the status of the engine. Then go down your list to the most important to least important. I personally think that before you start trying to gain a ton of power you should ensure your suspension is in good order.

I would get an s5 with an engine that does not need a rebuild. I went to the classified section and was surprised that the cost of these cars hasn't dropped since the past 6 to 7 years.